Surviving the holidays after the death of a loved one can seem challenging. From little details like “Who’ll make the gravy?” to paralyzing obstacles – like the inability to breathe, let alone cook, clean, shop, decorate and entertain – when you’re mired in grief, the fast-approaching festive season can be a source of dread instead of a time of joy and anticipation.
Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. Join members of the St. Alphonsus bereavement ministry team on Sunday, November 10, at 3 p.m. in Liguori Hall for “Hope for the Holidays for the Bereaved,” a free, two-hour program designed to help you navigate the holidays in a way that honors your departed loved one while empowering you to respect your own needs and set boundaries through what can arguably be the most stressful time of year.
The event is open to the public. Attendees don’t need to be Catholic, just grieving and open to healing. Facilitators Lisa Briggs and Rita Reali will guide participants through several practical tips for the upcoming holidays, including specific ideas to help make them seem less daunting
Losing a loved one is never easy, and now, with the major family holidays mere weeks away, it can seem even more like you’re stuck in a time vacuum. “Everyone always expects the holidays to be this perfect, happy time of year,” said Reali. “The truth is, they aren’t. Not when you’ve lost a parent, a spouse, a sibling – even your child. Your world implodes. It just kind of stops, and you can’t start it back up again – even if you wanted to. You’re hurting and you just don’t know how to go on.”
That’s why Sr. Mauryeen O’Brien developed the “Hope for the Holidays for the Bereaved” program in Connecticut in the 1980s. She also authored several books on loss and grieving. One of them is The New Day Journal: A Journey from Grief to Healing, which accompanies the nine-week Catholic-based bereavement program she established for the Archdiocese of Hartford.
St. Alphonsus launched the New Day program in September, after several parishioners recognized the growing need for such a ministry there. “My home parish instituted the ‘New Day’ program in ’98,” Reali recalled. “I trained in bereavement support under Sister Mauryeen, who was an amazingly compassionate woman. To see her life’s work carried on down here in the Diocese of Knoxville is tremendously gratifying.”
To register for “Hope for the Holidays for the Bereaved,” email Rita at rita@realifamily.com.